Should Have Gone To New Orleans!

Tonight, I wanted to tie up some bead head nymphs. You think I could find my beads?? Actually, the problem is that I’ve moved several times over the past few years, so even some of my fly tying stuff is in different places, different boxes, and if I haven’t needed something or other in the past while, it’s still packed away somewhere.

But I was SURE I had my beads in a handy location. I mean.. bead headed nymphs are a mainstay of mine.. except that I haven’t tied up any bead headed flies for awhile.

I looked and looked.. and almost decided to head to New Orleans, to get some beads. Now for youngsters, or those that don’t know about beads in relation to New Orleans, I apologize. This will mean nothing to you!

Probably a good thing, too. Believe me, the best beads for fly tying are NOT found in New Orleans, generally speaking. But after searching for my beads tonight, I was getting desperate.

Until finally.. another box opened, and there they were! So, I tied up some “secret” patterns with beads (remember, I can’t share my patterns until the Canadian Fly Fishing Championships has been completed), with my 3 1/2 year old son, sitting on my knee, fascinated with dead rabbit’s faces, cow tails, and feathers. He helped me do some dubbing, and then when done, pronounced, “Nice bug, Daddy!”

Heck, if my 3 1/2 year old can see the “buggyness” in the files we tied tonight, surely a fish with an IQ of.. well, whatever a fish has an IQ of, will see “BUG!!… Bug I want to eat!!” over these poorly tied flies.

I think I’m creating another fly tier. But he wouldn’t appreciate the beads of New Orleans. Not yet, anyhow.